Quick and Easy Pasta Bake Recipe in the DCB - Ready in Just 30 Minutes!

[Dotty]

I did some experimenting and managed a GREAT baked pasta in the DCB. It was super simple. I love that it is a one dish meal in ~30 minutes!

Take 1 box of pasta (I used penne) and dump into the DCB.
Spray the pasta with the oil mister, lightly coating and turning the pasta.
Cover the pasta with water (just cover, no extra).
Cover with lid and Microwave for 6-8 minutes. Open lid and stir pasta. Cover and microwave for an additional 6-8 minutes until al-dente.
Stir pasta again. (water should be gone!)
Add 1 jar of pasta sauce, 1 cup shredded mozzerella, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1 tsp italian seasoning. Stir into pasta.
Cover with lid and microwave for 8-10 minutes until mozzerella is melted.

Yummy!!!!!

 

[baychef]

Thanks for sharing! This sounds very yummy!:thumbup:

 

[gailz2]

And I bet pressing a clove or two of garlic into it would yum-it-up even more!

 

[Jen1409]

sounds yummy!

 

[chefheidi2003]

I can't wait to try it

 

[babywings76]

Thanks for sharing! Any time I can switch a recipe to one pot, let alone the DCB, I get so excited!

 

[smart2cook]

Sounds so good! I learned that if I use the whole wheat pasta it takes 19 minutes in my microwave. If that helps anyone.

 

[tys1031]

I changed the bacon, linguini & tomato toss to fit my husbands tastes. The recipe is below if anyone is interested.

Bacon, Chicken & Tomato Toss Recipe
12 slices bacon (turkey or regular)
2 ½ cups chicken broth
2 cans Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 ½ lbs. Boneless Chicken Breasts
4 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tsp Citrus & Basil Rub
12 oz uncooked penne pasta
½ tsp salt
2 tsp Italian Seasoning Mix
4 oz cream cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese


1. Slice bacon crosswise into 1/4-in. (6-mm) strips using Santoku Knife. Place into (12-in./30-cm) Skillet; cook over medium-high heat 8-9 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from Skillet; drain on paper towels. Drain Skillet. Return Skillet to heat; add garlic pressed with Garlic Press. Cook 10-20 seconds or until fragrant. Season chicken breast with 1 tsp citrus & basil rub, 1 tsp Italian Seasoning Mix, and ¼ tsp of salt. Cook chicken on HIGH in microwave for 12-15 minutes (depending on microwave power). Drain and reserve resulting broth.
2. Meanwhile, add drained broth, 2 ½ cups of broth and diced tomatoes to Deep Covered Baker®. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 6-8 minutes or until hot; carefully remove from microwave. While this mixture is cooking, on clean Cutting Board, chop Chicken using Santoku Knife.
3. Carefully add pasta, half of the bacon, remaining salt, Citrus & basil Rub, Italian Seasoning Mix, & garlic to broth mixture in Deep Covered Baker®. Cook 9-10 minutes or until pasta is almost cooked but still firm, stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, cut cream cheese and chicken into cubes. When pasta mixture is done, remove to Deep Covered Baker® from microwave and add cream cheese cubes, chicken, and parmesan cheese. Return to microwave for 4-6 minutes (depending on microwave power). Remove and stir. Pasta should be tender and sauce is thickened. Serve with remaining bacon, Parmesan cheese and reserved parsley.

 

[Dotty]

I forgot to mention! I put in a half a package of pepperoni, chopped with the food chopper!

 

[Jewel]

Dotty, made this last nite. Awesome! I addes sweet italian sausage and used marinara is was great! No left overs for lunch though. Thanks so much for sharing.

 

[Dotty]

Yea! Thanks for testing it out. I've only done it the one time, and I wanted to see how well it worked for others! Did the pasta cook fine? Did you have to pour out any water?

 

[Jewel]

It was great! I thought the pasta was going to be over done, it felt mushy when I stirred it but it was fine and I didn't drain anything. I used chicken broth and only cooked it 4 min the second time, then 1 min to melt cheese. Perfect!

 

[Shannen]

Ohhh, I might make that tonight... it seems to serve my laziness that I'm feeling today

 

[Dotty]

It was great! I thought the pasta was going to be over done, it felt mushy when I stirred it but it was fine and I didn't drain anything. I used chicken broth and only cooked it 4 min the second time, then 1 min to melt cheese. Perfect!

That probably works better. When I did it I seriously undercooked the pasta, so I cooked it longer with the sauce to make sure the pasta was done.

 

[grins88]

One of the first things I did in my DCB (before I was a consultant) was similar to this. I used ground beef, 1 small onion and 2-3 cloves of garlic. Cooked 7 minutes until beef was cooked. Added a box of penne noodles, 1 jar marinara sauce, and about 2 cups V8 juice. Cooked 10 minutes, stir, and cook 8 more minutes. Top with mozzarella and parm and cook another 2 1/2 minutes until the cheese was melted. I actually put this in my DCB cookbook and call it my Microwave "Baked" Ziti. You would never know it's not been cooked in the oven. And I, too, love that it is a one pot dinner so less clean-up!

 

[Dotty]

Oh, I have to try that! Thanks Grins!

 

[Jillmami]

Has anyone ever had pasta that is kind of gummy come out of the dcb/microwave? You bite into it and it sticks and has a "think" feel. Not enough liquid? Too long cooking time?

 

[SueAdx]

For alot of added flavor you can cook the pasta in Chicken Stock. AMAZING flavor!

 

[chefheidi2003]

Has anyone else tried this out? If so what did you think? Do you have any other suggestions? I am planning on making this tonight for dinner..and then if I like it..I am going to make it for my show on Thursday evening.

 

[babywings76]

I tried this, but used too much water. I put enough to cover the noodles, but it ended up being too much and I had to strain it. With some more test runs, I'll figure out how much liquid to use. The Grilled Chicken Penne al Fresca is similar to this idea, using chicken broth. So next time, I'm going to try either broth or water like that recipe states, only just add a little more liquid.

 

[Dotty]

Has anyone ever had pasta that is kind of gummy come out of the dcb/microwave? You bite into it and it sticks and has a "think" feel. Not enough liquid? Too long cooking time?

Lately I've been doing a lot of cooking pasta in the microwave and I prefer "al dente" pasta, so maybe you are overcooking it. I really like the microcooker for cooking pasta. I've found though, that the lid tends to warp a little, probably due to all the heat, and that lets some pasta slide out. However, if you bend the tips inward while the lid is warm, it goes right back into shape and seals onto the pot properly.

 

[Dotty]

I tried this, but used too much water. I put enough to cover the noodles, but it ended up being too much and I had to strain it. With some more test runs, I'll figure out how much liquid to use. The Grilled Chicken Penne al Fresca is similar to this idea, using chicken broth. So next time, I'm going to try either broth or water like that recipe states, only just add a little more liquid.

Ah, let the tops of the noodles peek out, don't cover them entirely. I've only tried this with penne, so I don't know how it works with other pasta, like macaroni.

 

[chefheidi2003]

OMG..this was SO GOOD..I made it last night..I will be making it for my show on Thursday..along with a fruit salad..but next time I make it for at home I will include the chopped pepperonis that was suggested earlier in this thread.

 

[Dotty]

At my kick-off show, I used Wegmans' brand Vodka sauce and it was amazing! I also pressed one clove of garlic in with the sauce and spices. I had one customer ask for the recipe and go straight to Wegmans afterwards. She said her family loved it! I don't think she used the DCB, but she loved the pasta bake. I didn't realize that such a simple dish wasn't a staple in other homes too!

 

[Paula R. Lewis]

What do you think about adding in some chopped broccoli, to give it some extra "veggies"? Do you think it would work OK, or would broccoli be too strong of a flavor??

Paula

 

[Dotty]

I love broccoli, so no I think broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and squash would all be great adds! I think I'll try this with spaghetti squash! Cook the spaghetti squash in the DCB, then turn it out back into the DCB and add the sauce.